VW - Can it be towed 4wheel down?

FIRE UP wrote:

Dyngbld wrote:
In my opinion trading the jeep for a VW is NOT an upgrade. Who needs AC in a jeep the top comes off. :)

My daughter loves her 95 Wrangler. Heck I would like to get another one.

Dynbld,
It depends on what the definition of "upgrade" is to each person. Upgrade to the OP might be a better ride, 2-3 times the gas milage, quieter etc. But, a VW certainly cannot go where a Jeep can go. And, 5 out of the 7 Jeep Wranglers we had, had A/C and we used it all the time. Taking the top off in heat and humidity sometimes sucks so, the top stayed on and the A/C was turned on. But, the top did come off at certain times of the year for a more fun style of driving.

And, one more thing, not sure of the exact figures but, I'd have to guess that about 99% of the VWs out there are lighter than just about any Wrangler.
Scott

Scott makes some good points.

The A/C in my LJ really cranks. A couple years ago we did Moab in June, running trails all day in 100-degree heat, and never had a problem. But the top stayed up, windows closed.

In comparison, the A/C in my sister's JKU really struggles when it gets that hot. I'm not bashing on JKs, as this comparison has a sample size of 1. But the Jeep dealer told her this was normal, and there was nothing to fix. The A/C was one of the main reasons she ultimately sold her Wrangler, when it was only a year old.

Dyngbld wrote:
In my opinion trading the jeep for a VW is NOT an upgrade. Who needs AC in a jeep the top comes off. :)

My daughter loves her 95 Wrangler. Heck I would like to get another one.

Dynbld,
It depends on what the definition of "upgrade" is to each person. Upgrade to the OP might be a better ride, 2-3 times the gas milage, quieter etc. But, a VW certainly cannot go where a Jeep can go. And, 5 out of the 7 Jeep Wranglers we had, had A/C and we used it all the time. Taking the top off in heat and humidity sometimes sucks so, the top stayed on and the A/C was turned on. But, the top did come off at certain times of the year for a more fun style of driving.

And, one more thing, not sure of the exact figures but, I'd have to guess that about 99% of the VWs out there are lighter than just about any Wrangler.
Scott

In my opinion trading the jeep for a VW is NOT an upgrade. Who needs AC in a jeep the top comes off. :)

My daughter loves her 95 Wrangler. Heck I would like to get another one.

Last one we towed was a 1999 VW Cabrio 5 spd manuel. No problems ever.

I have a 2009 Jetta diesel automatic and was told by the dealer it could not be towed. I wish I could have towed it . I love the car and 42 mpg.

Only in manuals are you ok to tow with 4 wheels down.

wesdevoe,
Volkswagen doesn't authorize ANY of it's fleet to be flat towed for several years. On this and many other RV forums, it has been discussed at great length. The "older" VWs, like the early models of Bug, '60s and 70s, have been towed for years and years. But, the later ones, as in the last few years and up to recent models, Volkswagen of America simply refuses to authorize and take precautionary steps to make their vehicles towable, flat that is. You can put anything on the planet on a trailer. That's not the problem.

I've been wanting to tow a late model VW Bug, TDI (diesel) for a long time now and, someday I will, the heck with VOA. But, basically, there are several folks on here that do tow the late model VWs but, all of them are manual transmissions. And, as of yet, NONE of them have reported any transmission problems in them, for the time they've been towing them.
Scott

VW I'm looking at is a 2002 with manual Transmission.(may be too old) I already tow a 1997 Jeep Wrangler behind my 34 ft class A Gasser 4 wheels down but it has no AC
-- want to upgrade - looking for recommendations on makes I should be looking at.

I have towed them for years. Only manuel trans. More info would help though.

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